As the father of the finalists at the Lipton Championships, Williams admitted that the occasion was emotionally wrenching. He led the cheers at the start of the match and was in his seat at the finish, when Venus completed a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 victory for her second consecutive Lipton title.

But during the match, Richard's thoughts turned to the poor neighborhood in Compton, California, where the family lived before moving to Florida in 1991. The memories stirred his emotions and sent him out the stadium tunnel for a calming cigarette.

Williams' hands shook during a news conference the day before Serena played big sister Venus, and he wasn't much calmer at a news conference after the match.

``We're used to being on the corner in Compton where people are shouting and doing drugs,'' he said. ``This is very strange to me, sitting up here and you peopletalking to me. I actually feel like a fool.''

The sibling showdown attracted attention from the international media. They are eager for a rematch, but they'll have to wait, because Serena and Venus aren't scheduled to play the same tournament again until the Italian Open in early May.

The consensus, however, is that Sunday's Williams-Williams final could be the first of many.

Venus, 18, is ranked sixth this week. Serena, 17, is a career-high 11th. Dad predicts they'll eventually be 1-2, and his opinion counts, because he said years ago his daughters were destined for greatness.

``The first time I ever took Venus to the tennis court, I walked home and told my wife, baby, we have a champion. This girl is rough, tough, strong and mentally sound. Those are the four qualities all champions have.''

How old was Venus at the time?

``Four years, six months and one day,'' her dad said. ``At five years old, I took the racket out of her hand. I wouldn't let her play for a year because she loved it toomuch.''

Serena started playing at about the same age, and she benefited from such practice partners as John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.

``Because Serena couldn't beat those guys with power, she had to learn to do angles and drop shots,'' Richard said. ``Right now, I think Serena is hitting angles and drop shots better than anyone.''

But will she overtake Venus? Serena trails 3-0 in the sibling rivalry, and there's division within the family regarding how many tournaments she and Venus should enter together.

Richard Williams said he once paid a psychiatrist to study the effects when sisters play each other.

``We learned that tennis is the only game that's extremely rough on a family,'' he said.

But he said his daughters are old enough to decide for themselves which events to enter.

``We'll be in a lot of the same tournaments,'' Venus said.

``We're Jehovah's witnesses, and we really believe that family comes first,'' Serena said. ``No matter how many times we play each other, I could never saythat it would affect my relationship with Venus.''